[Christmas 2004]

Happy holidays to one and all! We’re having a brown, but mi= ld, Christmas this year.

As 2004 winds down, we try to remember the highlights = (and forget, or at least learn from, the low points).

The year’s highlights included travel. We spent two weeks in the Palm Springs area = at the end of February. We’ve = been there so many times that it really feels like home. This year we visited Joshua Tree Na= tional Monument for the first time. = The Joshua trees are unique, and the rock formations are magnets for rock climb= ers. We also revisited old favorites – The Living Desert (the latest addit= ion was Giraffic Park) and Palm Springs Desert Museum. (You can see highlights of Joshua = Tree and The Living Desert on our website).

Fourth of July weekend we spent in Laguna Niguel and M= arina del Rey. We had lunch with fr= iends at Dana Point Harbor, visited Santa Monica, including the famous pier= , and dropped in at Universal Studios. We were able to see many fireworks displays from our hotel, including a display right in the marina.

We maintained our reputation for bringing bad weather = to California – it rained while we were in the d= esert and the “June gloom” was still hanging on the coast at the beginning of July (we could see Santa Catalina from the hotel terrace the day we arrived, but never saw it again!) –= and for being present for “breaking news” – the morning we le= ft LA a small plane crashed into a house in Seal Beach, resulting in live news coverage (just like the bank robbery and the collapse of the property in La Jolla that occurred during previous visits).

We spent our 35^th anniversary in Albuquerque (again, bringing rain and cool weather). It was a fun weekend. We wandered through Old Town (bought matching rings R= 11; turquoise and sterling silver, of course) and drove out to Sky City (the Acoma pueblo). Mostly we just relaxed. You can see us in our Southwestern= hats (purchased for sun protection before the rains came) on our website. Perhaps the most intriguing part o= f the trip was being selected for full search on both outgoing and return flights. The airline apparent= ly thought we were suspect because we were changing planes, though that airline did not have a direct flight to Albuquerque from Minneapolis. Oddly, it seems to take less time = to get through security when “selected for search” than when going thr= ough in the regular line.

Deanne ce= lebrated the 40^th anniversary of her college graduation in October. Four of her best friends from college came to t= own, and they had a private reunion and participated in the official one. It was a gorgeous fall weekend, ma= de for spending time outdoors (like wandering on the campus and shopping on St. Paul’s <= st1:Street w:st=3D"on">Grand Avenue). Also, the mother of Deanne’s college roommate (Julie) was gi= ven a distinguished alumni award. J= ulie was in town for the event, and Deanne and Julie were able to spend an evening together.

Our remodeling project, begun more than two years ago,= is essentially finished. In addi= tion to our original plans, we replaced our driveway and sidewalk and redid the adjacent landscaping. We are enjoying the new look, both inside and out. As we’d rearranged our livin= g room furniture, we needed to put the Christmas tree in a different spot, a fun d= ecorating challenge. Interesting proces= s, remodeling – the actual time spent performing the work was less than = two months, but the project took more than two years to complete.

Our health has been generally good. John had some minor surgery in Jul= y that produced mostly inconvenience. Although there was little pain, the healing process took much longer than anticipated. And we expe= rience all the aches and pains that seem to come with maturing. Our warranties are expiring!!

We’re both in our same jobs. We think about retirement, still contemplating possible relocation to a warmer climate. We usually spend time when we’= ;re traveling looking at housing developments and checking out the opportunities offered by various communities. It’s both fun and daunting to think about changing location and starting a new p= hase of life. Unfortunately, the d= earth of blue states with warm winters may have reduced our universe of choices.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Maybe there are advantages to staying in Minnesota.

What’s in store in 2005? Mostly more of the same. We’re going to Las Vegas in January, = Orlando in March, and Phoenix in November. Deanne= hopes to have another reunion with her college friends in northern Minnesota in Aug= ust, and both of us hope to get in more golf next summer. Deanne= will be president of Ordwa= y Circle of Stars, a volunteer and fund-raising organization for Ordway Center for the Performing Arts i= n Saint Paul. (You can see the article about her= on our website and more about Ordway at www.ordway.org.) The major event for the group is t= he Backstage Ball, a gala fundraiser held every fall. Much fun, but also much work. The 2005 Ball is on October 1, and we’d love to see you all there.

We hope that this greeting finds you well and that the= new year brings you good times, good friends, and good health. We also hope for a world of greater peace and tolerance.

All the best,

Deanne an= d John